


Not an Option

by Rroselavy



Category: Saiyuki
Genre: Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-21
Updated: 2011-05-21
Packaged: 2017-10-19 16:10:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/202721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rroselavy/pseuds/Rroselavy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As he travels further and further west, Sanzo uncovers more and more details from his master's past. Spoilers for <i>Saiyuki Crossroaders</i> Chapter One.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not an Option

Sanzo drew his blanket tighter around his body and huddled for warmth. The icy winds howling down the side of the mountain cut through the material effortlessly, though, and he shivered. His entire body ached from months riding shotgun in Jeep over rutted trails that passed for roads in the rural expanse of western China, Tibet and now India, on the southern steps of the Himalayas.

They were close. Even if he didn't have a map, he would have known by the daily onslaught of Prince Kougaiji's tattered armies, and more so, by the void that swirled around the _ikkou_ ; Sanzo's constant companion since meeting with Ukoku Sanzo once again.

He looked forward to their next meeting. This time, he would be prepared. This time, the heretic sanzo wouldn't escape with a grazing bullet. There was too much at stake for Sanzo: not just the future of Shangri-la, but also his master's memory.

It seemed that the closer they got to Houtou, the further west they traveled, the more Sanzo had to accommodate and recalculate his recollection of Koumyou Sanzo. As unnerving as each new detail and glimpse into his master's hidden life was, Sanzo found that it only broadened the affection and admiration he felt for him.

Even now, after all these years, even after Koumyou's lilting voice had faded to the mere whisper of a memory, Sanzo still followed in his footsteps: Koumyou had been here before him. Sanzo wasn't sure of the significance of that fact; whether Koumyou, too, had been pressed into a fool's errand by the gods or had embarked upon one on his own. Whatever its meaning was, Sanzo was convinced that the answers lay somewhere within the confines of Houtou Castle. And because of that, failure was not an option.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the DW community 15-minute-fic. Prompt word: failing. Time taken 14 minutes. Unbetaed.


End file.
